Why not choose the Launceston area for your Balloon flight? Launceston is the gateway to Cornwall, a centrally located town just one mile from the Devon border and can be easily reached by both sides.
If you have time before or after your flight Launceston itself is well worth a visit. A traditional market town with a formidable hilltop fortress, it is quintessentially Cornish with Georgian houses, an intricately carved church, narrow streets and market square. It’s also a shopping delight, with a wide range of shops whilst retaining a traditional atmosphere. Launceston also has a number of attractions including a steam railway, Lawrence House a museum that John Betjeman described as “having the most perfect collection of 18th century townhouses in Cornwall”, and the nearby Tamar Otter & Wildlife Centre.
If you choose this location you and your passengers will meet at one of two locations:
If you opt for a morning Balloon flight you will convene at Homeleigh Garden Centre. One of the South West’s largest family run garden centres it sells a wide range of items for the garden, home, for the angler and pets, and has a café with seating for up to 140 people where you can dine whilst looking over Dartmoor. Hot food is served between 8.30am till 3.45pm and teas coffees and cold snacks are available all day. An ideal place to grab breakfast after an exhilarating morning flight.
Afternoon Balloon flights meet at the Kings Head, Five lanes. This pub provides a variety of real ales, interesting ciders and the menu includes both regular pub dishes and interesting daily specials at very fair prices. There are two bars, one with games and one for drinking and eating. A further room serves as a restaurant when the place is busy as is frequently the case on Sunday lunchtimes. It has been described as a destination with genuine unpretentious character and is a popular place to eat.
After meeting you will be transferred to a safe place to inflate the balloon and anyone willing and able is encouraged to help! Finally once in the air you will glide over breathtaking scenery. The area has the enviable advantage of being near the beautiful and world famous Bodmin Moor that was first farmed over 4000 years ago by Bronze Age settlers. Bodmin Moor is of one the last truly unspoilt areas in the South West and much of its prehistoric past remains untouched by the progress of centuries. The scenery is dominated by dramatic granite tors towering over vast expanses of high moorland and bogs that meet shallow moorland valleys before rivers carve themselves deep valleys, providing shelter for rich, damp oak woodland.
Your flight will last for around an hour and when it sadly comes to an end and you land you will be met by your crew. The balloon will be deflated and those who wish to will help pack it away while certificates are presented. There is an opportunity to purchase merchandise if you want to become an honorary member of the Aerosaurus crew and when all the activities are over you will be transferred back to your starting point where if you have opted for an evening flight you will be able to indulge in a £5 all you can eat buffet to finish off a perfect day. You can then chat to your fellow passengers and new friends about your experience.
